Flowers From The First Half of 2021

Although I had a bit of a health scare, I did manage to make it out and take a few photos this year.  Here are some of the better flower photographs I took fro the first half of 2021. 

The Friday Link for 6/25/21

This week we salute Conan O'Brien as he ends is run on Conan on TBS.

He is an absolutely hilarious host and deserved FAR more stardom than he got.

Conan's predicament was once David Letterman was no longer in Jay Leno's sights, Conan became the latest victim of that guy's massive ego.  Leno leaves the Tonight Show, Conan takes over in summer of 2009 (which was a very entertaining run, albeit for 6 months).  As Leno immediately regretted his decision, the gears started to undermine Conan. This was something Howard Stern warned him about three years before Leno unceremoniously replaced Conan.

Conan was never given a chance, Leno brought his beige version of the show back.  Rumor has it NBC told him when they decided to make the change to Fallon that he was told in no uncertain terms it was over. Didn't help Conan, but Leno exposing his own pettiness damaged him greatly.

But Conan is Conan and he has so many great bits from the last 11 years on Conan at TBS.  My hands down favorite bit is Clueless Gamer, which I have posted on the Friday Link before.  I love this because I’m Conan on this game.  Gamer friends try to get me to play a game, it becomes a joke and I ask what's the point. 

Here's the best of Clueless Gamer segments.  ***Warning, Bad Language and Adult themes!***  

Another hilarious bit was when Conan took one of his staff members who was learning to drive and brought along Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.  THIS was brilliant!  Once again, LANGUAGE!

And of course no salute to Conan would be complete without a visit from Paul Rudd, this time, at the end, interrupting an interview with Bill Hader.  This is a textbook example of how a comedian/actor makes a long running bit work.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Stay Healthy, Sat Safe! 

PLEASE GET VACCINATED!!!

Thanks.

The Friday Link for 6/18/21

Howdy all.

We start today with the loss of Frank Bonner, aka Herb Tarlek the sales manager of WKRP in Cincinnati.  The actor passed away on Wednesday.

I've posted a few times about this show over the years, and I always say the same thing.  Whomever wrote WKRP in Cincinnati worked extensively in radio, because myself and pretty much every other radio person I've ever worked with knows those characters extensively.  While Venus, Johnny Fever, Jennifer, Bailey, Andy and The Big Guy all are really familiar, the two most iconic characters were Les Nessman the newsman and Bonner's Herb.

Herb Tarlek was such a great character.  The show is dated with some inappropriate language for today, but his character represented late 70's early 80's smarmy salesman so well.  A lot of great episodes featured Herb, but an underrated gem is the late first season episode Fish Story.  Basically it involves the station mascot (Herb in a WKRP Carp suit) fighting with the radio station mascot from WPIG (by the way, pay toilets!). I did have to help break up a fight between two radio station mascots in Iowa one time. Like I said, very real!

This is a quick behind the scene feature which talks about how they really didn't want to do this episode, but it became a huge hit. Enjoy. God speed Frank.

Also this week is the return of The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper as he got to interview Mike Lindell (the my pillow guy) as he was doing his...rally(?) in Wisconsin.  Klepper's point about how Lindell's claims are exactly like a Bigfoot show (There was no evidence this week, but if you turn in next week, MAYBE they'll see one then!) is so freaking perfect! 

It was so good that Lindell, a man who never met a camera he wouldn't try to hog for as long as possible stormed off. Beautiful! 

Have a great weekend everyone!

PLEASE get vaccinated! Stay healthy, stay safe!

Dear US Conference of Catholic Bishops,

Let me begin by saying HOW DARE YOU!  Seriously! As your pews empty, as your congregations shrink, you once again take a religion that's supposed to be based on peace, love, welcoming, and understanding and turn it into a weapon of hate, to help your PERSONAL political motivations over the teachings of Jesus and God.  You are heretics, you are fools, and you are wrong.

If you're wondering what this is all about, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, lured and seduced by political power waved at them from Republican politicians who want to turn Catholicism in the United States into a conservative political litmus test, have decided to personally attack Joe Biden by trying to write rules to prevent the President from receiving communion in church.  Joe Biden is a devout Catholic, and attends church regularly, more since any president since Carter, but that's moot.  The Bishops are out to persecute him.  We see right through these 'Bishops of Hate' at their true motivation for what they are doing.  It about PERSONAL political power.

My disclaimer:  I'm Catholic.  You do, or don't do, whatever it is you do or don't want to do.  

My family is Catholic.  My wife and I married in the church, going through the Catholic training, and we renewed our vows there too.  My three kids were baptized in the church, have all had their first communion, and two of the three have been confirmed.  We've gone through Sunday school and church camps.  We were regular attendees of service, going at least 40 weeks a year.  We attend a more liberal church and I love it.  I've been to fire and brimstone churches, but I'm not a big fan of leaving a service with a list of people I'm supposed to hate in the name of Jesus.  I've served on church committees and have volunteered. 

For the record, I'm against abortion.  That's a personal decision and one every individual should make for themselves. My faith tells me we are all judged by our own actions on this planet, so I can't point to someone else and say "they told me to do that."  Make your own decision, as that is your choice to make.  I wrote about my personal feelings almost 5 years ago right here: Abortion

It's been a rough few decades for the Catholic Church.  The child sex abuse scandal which reached across the globe was deplorable, evil, unacceptable and heart breaking.  I saw the church attendance cut in half.  No one can blame the parishioners who left.  Slowly a few came back, but the numbers still have not recovered from that disgrace, and nor should they.  If you're wanting to praise the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for attacking Joe Biden, you are also praising many of the same people who were in leadership positions within the church when the child sex scandal occurred, and some of them likely knew.  Many leaders within the church enabled the abusers FOR DECADES.  You want to make them heroes, that's on you.

What the USCCB is saying is that since Catholic teachings state abortion is wrong, that Joe Biden, as a Catholic President, MUST be the most anti-abortion President ever.  If he doesn't force his Catholic views on all people, including all non-Catholics and non-Christians, then he's enabling abortion and should not receive the communion.  

Anti-abortion policy is a Catholic teaching, and depending on the zealot's interpretation, even goes as far to say, 'what a blessing babies conceived from rape and incest are.'  The reality is the Bible is a mixed bag when it comes to abortion.  Sure, there are a lot of passages that back up life, undeniably, BUT there are passages which seem to go the other way too.  (quick side note: There are a lot of Catholic leaders who will say "you need to follow this passage verbatim" when a passage backs up their point of view, but when it's a passage which doesn't, the next lines are "let me tell you what they meant."  FYI).  Number 5:11-31 outlines a conversation between the Lord and Moses which gives 'how to' instructions on having an abortion. Exodus 21:22-23 originally only referred to the health of the pregnant woman, not the baby/fetus at all, only having been reinterpreted in recent years by political opportunists, and Psalm 137:9 is pretty straight forward.  The Bible is also chock full of stores where pregnant women, babies and kids are violently killed!  When you think about Noah, you always think of a boat with animals, not all the pregnant women, fetuses, babies and kids God killed with the flood (It's true!).  But there's also one other slight problem with anti-abortion teachings in the church...

Jesus never once condemned abortion. Not once.

I know these Catholic Bishops will say the entire Bible and all Biblical teachings are sacred (well the ones the church allowed to be taught) but the reality is what makes Christians and Catholics 'Christians and Catholics' is the story of Jesus.  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell the story of Jesus, from birth to resurrection, and at no point in the four Gospels does Jesus ever state "Abortion is wrong never do it!'  It's not like abortion wasn't a practice back then.  It was.  It's not like Jesus doesn't give a lot of other direct commands.  He did. He never condemned it. That's a fact.

The USCCB has decided to boil the Catholic faith down to one sin, and use that as a condemnation stick.  Once again, my church is telling me who to hate, who to shun, who to dismiss, who to marginalize, who to segregate, who to demonize and, by proxy, who to vote for in political elections.  No thank you!

And let's just cut through your fake veil of righteousness.  The USCCB have snuggled up to the most loathsome of people, including Trump, a man who is straight out of Biblical villainy.  Whenever anyone in the Catholic Church embraces a far-right conservative politician, they are GLEEFULLY snuggling up to people who have ripped the Gospel of Matthew from their Bible.  You remember Matthew 25: 35-45:

You tell me what is a bigger sin USCCB, realizing your political office goes beyond your own personal religious beliefs and allowing individuals to make their own choices in life, or a group of self-serving Bishops who have allowed major teaching of Jesus himself to be thrown out, eagerly bastardizing their own faith, because they want to be welcomed into the far-right political club for personal power?

When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to feed the hungry, they cannot receive communion"?  Jesus told us to do so, directly.  When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to give water to the thirsty, they cannot receive communion"?  Jesus told us to do so, directly (Flint, Michigan anyone?).  When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to clothe the needy, they cannot receive communion"?  Jesus told us to do so, directly.  When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to help the sick or visit prisoners, they cannot receive communion"?  Jesus told us to do so, directly.  When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to WELCOME IN STRANGERS, they cannot receive communion"?  Jesus told us to do so, directly!!!

USCCB, don't you dare call anyone else a 'cafeteria Catholic' when you are the ones, AS SUPPOSED LEADERS IN THE CHURCH, pick and choose what teachings of Jesus to ignore or downplay.  You're the ones with the compromised morality. And let's also admit the truth. Joe Biden could cave to every one of your demands and you still wouldn't embrace him.  You'd find some other made up outrage to lean upon because this has nothing to do with religion, only politics, and the political power you individually crave.

With all apologies to the more reasonable and educated leaders within the Catholic Church who I've enjoyed guidance from, including Pope Francis, I can no longer take this constant betrayal.  Consider this my official resignation from the Catholic Church.  I'm taking my monthly donation too!  I will not be part of this organization if this is what EVIL people are determined to turn it into.  There are too many other churches who are not looking to weaponize Jesus. 

And what should scare the USCCB is this reality.  I'm not going to be the only person saying this today.  I guarantee the Catholic Church just lost a lot of parishioners. And another truth, it's not like your actions are going to even register a blip on new attendance to your 'masses of persecution.'  But you don't care, USCCB.  This was always only about you.

Goodbye.

The Friday Link for 6/11/21

Slow and steady wins the race!  This week my health is slowly starting to recover, but because I'm taking it slow, and recovering, my focus is mainly on that.  I'll get back to the blog soon.  I promise.

This weeks Friday Link has three very different clips. We'll start with the US verses Mexico final of the CONCACAF Championship, and epic game which was a nail biter until the end.  This is a Spanish language broadcast.  Go to 12:10 in the video. The US, up by 3-2, had a handball in the box late in the 2nd overtime.  The pure joy the Mexican broadcast team had at the delivery of the ensuing penalty kick was crushed when the US goalie blocked the tying goal, eventually leading the US winning the game. 

USA! USA! USA!  Epic game.

The next two clips are full of rough language, so YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!

Last Week Tonight has another sensational segment where John Oliver specifically focuses on the unique way the US treats Asian Americans, and the way racism in America is delivered in a variety of methods depending on the cultural group that is being targeted. 

Finally tonight, ZeFrank has a delightful look at the tick! Considering this is a REALLY bad year for ticks, this is not only naughty, raunchy and hilarious, it's full of fun facts! 

Have a safe weekend!

Please get vaccinated!  I don't want you sick, and I don't want you to die.

The Friday Link for 6/4/21

Howdy! I'm back from a fairly serious health crisis.  I'm feeling better, and thanks to all the nurses, doctors, support staff and volunteers at Methodist Hospital who took care of me.  It will take a few months but I should be back to normal before long.

This week's list of videos are just some of the ones I found over the last two weeks that made me laugh.  Seriously, this was tough at times, so you appreciate a good sincere laugh. 

First up might be the best video I've seen in awhile.  I think that dog and cat are regretting a lot.

Perfect.  By the way, the parrot's dog bark is so convincing, my dog started going crazy when she heard it. 

Next up a Warning - ***Language***!

John Oliver's takedown of cereal is beyond brilliant.  

By the way, there has been some back and forth between Cheerios and Oliver in regards to his offer.  Look at his Twitter feed for some 'family' images enjoying Cheerios.

Next up a brilliant bit of Fox News contradicting themselves, courtesy of The Daily Show.  My favorite part is the never ending whining over how Democrats need to be nice to Trump and his supporters after they lost, the same people who four years ago couldn't stop spiking the ball for a year and were screaming "F- Your Feelings" 8 months ago.  Do you need a juice box and a therapy dog? 

Finally tonight, you know you are on a restrictive diet due to health reasons when you start watching food and cooking videos like they are porn.  I am not sure why this one made me stare drooling at the screen, but mission accomplished. A Caribbean pepper pot from the 1700's, and it looks sensational.  I will try this when the dietary restrictions are over.  

Be healthy and be safe.  Try to stay cool this weekend!

Get vaccinated!  I don't want you sick and we're all in this together!